Shifting Impressions
by XxAmilea.M.McKinnonxX
Summary: A short one-shot on when Tamina began to realize her feelings for Dastan, whether they be love, like, or just non-hate. Tamina POV, Dastan/Tamina


**Disclaimer: No, I do not own anything in here, other than my way of interpreting what may have been going through Tamina's head at this moment in the movie.**

**A/N This is my first Prince of Persia fanfic. I was up late the other night watching it for the second time all the way through, and I remembered how much I love Dastan and Tamina together. This is a simple one-shot I wrote in about two hours. Hope you enjoy!**

"The secret guardian temple outside Alamut is a sanctuary; the one place the dagger can be hidden safely, the only way to stop this Armageddon. That's the truth. Dastan, give me the dagger, so that I may take it there."

I watched as he looked down at the dagger, and then back up to meet my eyes. There was something glistening in his blue eyes. Could it be cheekiness? No, his smirk was not one of amusement. It was instead his usual, arrogant smirk. Could that be it? Was arrogance swimming behind his eyes? No, the emotion they portrayed was too…soft. It was a look I hadn't seen from him before. Dastan wasn't a soft man; he had a way of hiding his emotions and coming across as the typical Persian prince. Arrogance, pride, and a stubbornness that rivaled my own, those were his key traits. Or so I thought. This journey caused me to think differently. Perhaps there was more to him than I first thought. But I knew one thing for certain. Dastan was even more annoying than I first believed. What was he thinking?

"Oh, I can't do that."

I blinked, surely I had misheard him. Why wouldn't he hand it over? What use could he possibly have for it? A flash of anger hit me without a moment's notice. Dastan was planning on taking the dagger back to Alamut to use it for himself. Of course. Why had I not thought of that before? I hurriedly scanned the area. The horse was standing behind him, with every weapon except the dagger in its packs. I doubted that I could take the dagger from Dastan. He was much too strong, and no doubt he expected me to. What was I going to do? Smugness caused me to smirk, if only for a moment, as I thought of something. Even if Dastan did manage to somehow sneak back into Alamut, he would not find the sandglass. That was the only way he could use the dagger again, and the sandglass was too fully hidden. I could surely make it back to Alamut before he found it. My smug thoughts were short-lived, however, as I looked back at Dastan. I felt something else fill me, not anger, but disappointment. After all that had happened since Alamut's breeching, I had thought Dastan understood. He had never once looked at the dagger with greed, only amazement and…at times, fear. I had thought that he knew the power it held, and the consequences for using it. I had thought that the Lion of Persia had more nobility.

"I'm coming with you."

Dastan's words caught me off guard, and I looked back at him in poorly hidden amazement.

"You're going to help me?"

Dastan's smile was genuine, and I knew my thoughts had been wrong. Dastan did understand the importance of the dagger. He smirked before swinging onto the stolen horse.

"Well, we can sit here and chat, or you can get on the horse."

I nodded, trying to hide my shock once more. For a moment, I had fully expected him to retract his offer and leave. The Prince kept surprising me. As he helped me onto the horse, my thoughts were scattered everywhere. I pondered his intentions. Was he really going to help me? Could he possibly have some ulterior motive? Surely it would serve his purposes better to leave for Alamut. If not to use the dagger, then to at least speak to his brothers. He could clear his name, and live happily on, leaving me to find some way to stop his uncle from destroying the world. Could Dastan really care for the dagger that much? Could he really be so noble as to put the needs of the world before his own? It appeared as if the Lion of Persia had more nobility than I credited him for.

He turned back to look at me before setting off, clucking to the horse.

A voice, my own, seemed to whisper in my mind. "Or perhaps it isn't the dagger he cares for." What could that mean? Was my mind insinuating that Dastan cared for me? That he was helping me because he genuinely cared? No. I had to stop myself from laughing out loud. Dastan didn't care for me, he could hardly stand me. Just as I could hardly stand him.

"That's not true, Tamina." The voice whispered again. I was right. If I couldn't stand him, I wouldn't have been so disappointed when he refused to hand me the dagger. Perhaps I didn't fully loathe this Persian. Our journey had caused me to see more in him than I was at first willing to accept. He was not only an arrogant brute, but also a chivalrous and brave partner. Perhaps I did care for him.

"That's a bit of a stretch." I whisper. I don't realize I said it aloud until Dastan looked back at me.

"You alright?" He asks.

I simply nod, not wanting to speak again in fear that I unleash this inner monologue. No need to inflate his ego by letting him know that I'm thinking of him.

I know two things for sure as I ride off with Dastan. First, the dagger would soon be destroyed, and therefore the world saved. Second, I wasn't quite sure how I felt about the Persian Prince, but it didn't matter.

We would be parted soon enough.

**A/N I enjoyed writing this. I added a lot more last minute, and it's not Beta-ed, so sorry for any typos or plotholes. The movie was a bit confusing, considering it was two a.m. when I last watched it. This stemmed from my thoughts on where Tamina and Dastan began to not completely loathe each other. I thought this moment, while short in the movie, was right around what made sense. Please, Review and tell me what you liked, disliked, hated, loved, etc. etc. I'm thinking of writing this same kind of thing, but from Dastan's point of view. It would probably be this exact same scene, come to think of it. ^^**


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